real-time insect monitoring system by using field … · real-time insect monitoring system by...

IAALD AFITA WCCA2008 WORLD CONFERENCE ON AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION AND IT

Real-time Insect Monitoring System by Using Field Server Masayuki Hirafuji1,2, Hideo Yoichi1, Tomonari Watanabe1, Motoaki Asai1, Hu Haoming1, Kei Tanaka1,2, Tokihiro Fukatsu1, Takuji Kiura1 and Seishi Ninomiya 1,2 1 National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Japan, [email protected] 2 University of Tsukuba, Japan Abstract Conventional Field Servers can only monitor environmental information such as air temperature and CO2 concentration. We developed real-time monitoring system to observe insects by using Field Severs. Diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) was monitored by an insect counting system and a Field Server. The insect counting system employed a commercial home-use insect killer, in which a bar coated by pheromone attracting a specific insect is installed instead of a fluorescent light. Conventional Field Server has a camera equipped in its case. Casing of Field Server provides special functions of waterproof and cooling inside parts such as a Wi-Fi communication card. However, power consumption of camera is low and it works for only short time to capture an image every hour or a few minutes. Therefore only camera can be packed in water-proofed case. Combining the Web service developed for image surveillance system and the image monitoring system, we could reveal an unknown ecological phenomenon that what is predator of weed seeds on arable lands, and it was crickets (Teleogyllus emma). Keywords: Field Server, Pattern recognition, Insect Introduction Time-series data concerning to dynamics of eco-system such as number of individuals and bio-mass in fields is important information to make decision in faming. For example, pest control depends on this information and environmental data such as air-temperature and humidity. We can get environmental data of farms by using Field Server (Fukatsu and Hirafuji, 2005; Fukatsu et al., 2006) or integrated meteorological databases by MetBroker (Laurenson et al., 2001); time-series data concerning to bio-mass of crops and weeds also can be estimated by using image data collected by Field Servers. However we cannot collect time-series data concerning to dynamics of insects. Conventionally traps have been employed to monitor dynamics of insects. However daily counting of captured individuals in traps is so troublesome that number of locations to install traps is limited. So we developed two methods to observe insects automatically using Field Servers. Insect Counting System

We developed real-time monitoring system to observe insects with combining a Field Severs and an insect counter. An insect counter consists of a commercial home-use electric insect

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killer with pheromone, a countering module, a coil and a Field Server as shown Fig.1. The counting module consists of a one-chip CPU and a discharge radio signal detector (Fig. 2). Ordinal insect killer equips a fluorescent light which attracts insects. The insect killer for the insect counting system equips a bar coated by synthetic sex pheromone instead of the fluorescent light attracts specific male adults.

Attracted male adults are killed by high-voltage discharge in the electric insect killer. When high-voltage discharge kills an insect, radio signal (electromagnetic wave) is emitted. The radio signal, which is a bunch of complex pulses, is detected by the coil in Fig.1. A one-chip CPU counts the signal as one pulse, and then periodically the Field Server communicates the one-chip CPU through serial interface (RS-232C) to get data. All these components are equipped in a Field Server and a plastic weather-proof case as shown Fig. 3.

In case that sensitivity (gain of the amplifiers) of the discharge radio signal detector (Fig. 2) is tuned fine, the radio signal is counted as single pulse. However, if sensitivity of the amplifiers is too low or too high, the radio signal might be counted as zero or plural pulses. Tuning is not so easy, because the optimal gain depends on energy of discharge which is a function of various factors such as gap between electrodes of the insect killer and resistance between an insect and electrodes of the insect killer.

Here, we can assume linearity that number of pluses is proportional to number of killed male adults and, as a result, density of insects in a farm. We examined this assumption by an experiment for diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) as shown Fig.4. Actually difference of sensitivity affected the results; however there is linearity as shown Fig.5, because the normalized trends of counts are consistent with the observed data. Moreover, we compared the result of the insect counting system and that of conventional sticky trap method (Fig.6). Consistency between the results is not clear. There may have be time lag between the trends, since distance from a position of the insect counting system to another position of the sticky trap is about 30m. Assuming time lag is two days, constancy seems higher.

Fig. 1 Components of an insect counting system

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Fig. 4 Difference of counts in sensitivity of the amplifier

Fig. 3 Insect monitoring system with a Field Server

Fig.2 Diagram of discharge radio signal detector

Number of days since June 4, 2007

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Fig. 6 Comparison between sticky trap method and the counting system

Fig. 5 Difference of normalized counts in sensitivity of the amplifier



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Image Monitoring System

The insect counting system cannot be employed in farms where synthetic sex pheromone for mating disruption is treated. Also it is ineffective for unknown live forms.

Conventional Field Server has a camera equipped in its case. Casing of Field Server provides special functions of waterproof and cooling inside parts such as a Wi-Fi communication card. However, power consumption of camera is low and it works for only short time to capture an image every hour or a few minutes. Therefore only camera can be packed in water-proofed case (Fig. 7). These cameras can take close-up pictures life forms on a surface of soil above the ground. Moreover employing infra-red camera, the ecology on a surface of soil can be observed

Enormous images had been taken automatically every one minute for three months with infra-red camera (VGA size, 0.3M pixels).

The images are stored on a data storage server of MAFFIN and all the data is available on a Web (http://fsds.dc.affrc.go.jp/data2/NARC_mesh/mesh189_cam/mesh189.htm).

Combining a Web service developed for image surveillance system (Tanaka et al., 2008) and the image monitoring system with an infra-red camera, several images of an individual which appeared at night in a farm were captured. Images on the moments the individual appeared were screened by the Web service automatically. The images could reveal an unknown ecological phenomenon that what is predator of weed seeds on arable lands, and it was crickets (Teleogyllus emma) as shown Fig. 8.

Fig. 7 Infra-red cameras externally connected to a Field Server.

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References Asai, M., M. Hirafuji,H. Yoichi, T. Shibuya, M. Ichihara (2007), Crickets (Teleogryllus emma)

are the main predators of weed seeds (Avena fatua and Lolium multiflorum) on arable land, Abstract of WSSA Annual meeting, 88.

Fukatsu, T. and M.Hirafuji (2005) Field monitoring using sensor-nodes with a Web server, Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics 17(2), 164-172.

Fukatsu, T., M.Hirafuji and T.Kiura (2006) An agent system for operating Web-based sensor nodes via the Internet, Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics 18(2), 186-194.

Laurenson, M.R,.T. Kiura, S. Ninomiya (2001), A Tool for Estimating the Risk of Extreme Climatic Events. Agricultural Information Research 10, 79-90.

Tanaka, K. Y. Kita, M. Hirafuji and S. Ninomiya (2008), Change Image Detection Application for Field Server, 2008, Proc. of IAALD AFITA WCCA2008.

Fig. 8 Found a cricket (Teleogyllus emma)

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